A celebrated photographer and designer brings his jet-set style to a chic new shop in Paris

Shop in Paris

Shop in Paris

Wander into the new Willy Rizzo gallery on Paris’s left Bank and you just might find the nearly 82-year-old photographer and furniture designer sitting in front of his computer with his dashing son, Willy Jr., the two of them tweaking sketches for a new bar cart, cocktail table, or vanity. “I still have a few ideas for things I want to design,” says Rizzo, adding with a laugh, “Remember: Work keeps you young!”

Yves Saint Laurent

Yves Saint Laurent

Rizzo’s vintage pieces have long been collected by aficionados of high style, and new editions are available at such galleries as Mallett in both New York and London. But late last year, Rizzo decided with Dominique, his wife of 30 years, to open his own space. “We were looking for offices,” he explains, “and when we saw this gallery for rent, we thought, Why not take this and make it an office, studio, and gallery? Let’s just mix it all up.”

A 1953 Rizzo image of Yves Saint Laurent with his first collection for Christian Dior